There is a special quality which defines Saskatchewan, a spirit of community which the people of the province have forged through poverty and plenty. Identity is an intangible quality, difficult to pinpoint or define. However, people in Saskatchewan perceive a shared sense of who they are whether or not they can define it precisely. The spirit of Saskatchewan is unique, built upon the foundation of our shared past, sustained by our people today, vital to the future of this province.

Winning the Prairie Gamble: The Saskatchewan Story is the theme of outstanding new centennial exhibits through which the WDM will celebrate the Saskatchewan experience, strengthen our sense of identity and pass it on to new generations. The WDM will achieve a new exhibit standard worthy of the 21^st century.

At the WDM Story of People in Yorkton you will discover Saskatchewan like you've never seen it before! A multi-dimensional interactive experience sets the stage for adventure into Saskatchewan's past. Visual presentations of the province's rich and varied landscape, known for centuries to aboriginal peoples, along with the structure of settlement imposed upon the land--the regular pattern of the survey grid, the web of railways and roads, towns and villages that dot the map, the country elevator system--will greet you.

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A walk through the gallery will be a walk through time, a trail wending through the exhibit, rich with artifacts and images depicting events that have shaped our province. We will celebrate achievements that have put Saskatchewan on the world stage.

At the WDM Story of People in Yorkton, the new 2005 centennial exhibit will celebrate the Saskatchewan identity. Co-operation, generosity, hospitality, perseverance, and for those who lived through the Great Depression, frugality, are traits for which Saskatchewan people are known.

With the realization that Canada was moving westward and the buffalo herds were vanishing at an alarming rate, Indian leaders sought assurance that their people would have a place in the new society. They entered into treaties with the Crown to guarantee their survival.

For the last hundred years, Saskatchewan has been the promised land for those seeking hope for a better life. The Last Best West offered seemingly unbounded opportunity to those from east, west, north and south.

You will discover heartbreaking and heartwarming stories of leaving the familiar for the unknown and making a home in a new land. When Victor Humeniuk emigrated from Ukraine to Canada in the early 1900s, he left his sweetheart behind. The lonely bachelor, a talented wood carver, created life size figures of himself and the woman he never saw again. The poplar carvings illustrate the heartbreak that often accompanied leaving loved ones for opportunity in a distant country.

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Saskatchewan can rightfully be proud of many innovations and achievements. In the 1930s George Morris, a farmer from Bangor, invented a trip mechanism which made his rod weeder a commercial success. The company he founded has become a leader in the manufacture of tillage and seeding equipment. You will see the only original Morris rod weeder remaining in existence.

Exhibits will draw from the WDM's diverse artifact collection, acquired through more than 50 years of collecting. You will have fun as you discover unique stories of Saskatchewan's past told in the words of people who lived them.

The WDM Family History Album will hold a special place in the exhibit, a place where you can share your family story. Your gift of $500 and your family story will help to create a lasting legacy--exhibits which will present Saskatchewan's history in a dynamic, innovative way and an electronic Family History Album filled with stories and images of living in Saskatchewan. A Heritage Site within the exhibit will provide computer access to your story and images and your name will be permanently inscribed for all to see.

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